(a)
For the purposes of this article, “small community” means a municipality with a population of 20,000 persons or less, a rural county, or a reasonably isolated and divisible segment of a larger municipality where the segment of the population is 20,000 persons or less, with a financial hardship, as determined by the board.
(b)
The board may award grants under this article to assist small communities in complying with groundwater contaminant level requirements.
(c)
The board may award grants under this article to local public agencies and private not-for-profit water companies.
(d)
The board shall give priority to the following types of projects:
(1)
Projects to provide an alternate source of water or to treat water where the existing supply of groundwater exceeds the maximum contaminant level of arsenic.
(2)
Projects to provide an alternate source of water or to treat water where the existing supply of groundwater exceeds the maximum contaminant level for nitrate.
(3)
Projects identified by the board, in consultation with the State Department of Health Services, as having a priority to address the needs of small community water systems.
(e)
The board may make funds available under this article in each fiscal year to provide technical assistance or planning grants, or both, to small communities.